An Air India pilot was arrested and hauled off an airplane in San Francisco for downloading child pornography.
The first officer in his 50s was deported and is banned from entering the US again.
He was cuffed in front of passengers after law enforcement and FBI agents met the plane.
Authorities had been tracking his internet use for the past two months while in the US on previous stopovers.
They seized his passport and cancelled his US visa.
It is a federal offence to distribute, receive or be in possession of an image of child pornography.
An airline spokesman said the deportation was for a visa issue but multiple sources told Times of India it relates to the child porn allegations.
